If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

User Info Menu

Join Date

Dec 2008

Location

Inside Your Head

Posts

10,983

I always thought 99% of gun owners have fantasized about being like Charles Bronson in Death Wish.

When someone buys a gun, they have to go through the mental exercise of thinking through situations in which they would kill someone and determine for them when they feel it would be right and justified.

Thoughts can be just as dangerous as actions.

I was watching some 2020 or Dateline show where some guy had guns to protect his family. And his neighbors were having a loud party after midnight. He went over armed and asked them to be quiet. Then one of the drunk guys at the party said something to him and the guy shot him. Said he felt threatened. That's an entire situation where nothing would have happened if the guy didn't have a gun. Was he a douche? Were the neighbors douches? Sure. But no one needed to be shot. There was no reason to bring a gun.

Sure the guy who shot the other guy was at fault. But he probably wouldn't have done anything if he didn't have access to a gun. I appreciate freedom. But you just have to be careful because complete freedom isn't really freedom. Owning a gun opens up people to thinking through killing. Is that a good thing? Maybe they should require gun owners go to church at least so they get reminded thou shall not kill. So when they fantasize, they will remember it's wrong.

In the end, the right to bear arms is a big responsibility. And I'm not sure given the way people act in every day life, that many people are responsible enough to deserve that right.

User Info Menu

Join Date

Aug 2008

Location

Ohio

Posts

4,771

Originally Posted by flippy

I always thought 99% of gun owners have fantasized about being like Charles Bronson in Death Wish.

When someone buys a gun, they have to go through the mental exercise of thinking through situations in which they would kill someone and determine for them when they feel it would be right and justified.

Thoughts can be just as dangerous as actions.

I was watching some 2020 or Dateline show where some guy had guns to protect his family. And his neighbors were having a loud party after midnight. He went over armed and asked them to be quiet. Then one of the drunk guys at the party said something to him and the guy shot him. Said he felt threatened. That's an entire situation where nothing would have happened if the guy didn't have a gun. Was he a douche? Were the neighbors douches? Sure. But no one needed to be shot. There was no reason to bring a gun.

Sure the guy who shot the other guy was at fault. But he probably wouldn't have done anything if he didn't have access to a gun. I appreciate freedom. But you just have to be careful because complete freedom isn't really freedom. Owning a gun opens up people to thinking through killing. Is that a good thing? Maybe they should require gun owners go to church at least so they get reminded thou shall not kill. So when they fantasize, they will remember it's wrong.

In the end, the right to bear arms is a big responsibility. And I'm not sure given the way people act in every day life, that many people are responsible enough to deserve that right.

Flippy, there are a lot of rights given in this country to everyday morons, but until they do something moronic that right is theirs, yours and mine.

2017 Mock

1. T.J Watt, OLB/DE, Wisconsin - will be a huge mistake if available and we pass

2. Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Clemson

3. Josh Jones, S, N.C. State

3. Adam Shaheen, TE, Ashland

4. Trey Hendrickson, DE, Florida Atlantic

5. Josh Reynolds, WR, Texas A&M

6. Barry Sanders, RB, Oklahoma State (How can you go wrong with that name, however the sample size is so small that his dad may be better even in his 50's)

User Info Menu

Join Date

Dec 2008

Posts

7,056

Originally Posted by D Rock

Kennesaw is already in a pretty decent area, about as decent as it can be that close to Atlanta.

Wrong! "Prior to enactment of the law, Kennesaw had a population of just 5,242 but a crime rate significantly higher (4,332 per 100,000) than the national average (3,899 per 100,000)." Not my definition of a "pretty decent town."

Originally Posted by D Rock

Crime rates did drop though after the law was enacted, that's undeniable.

BIG time. By the year 2005, the crime rate had fallen to 2,027 per 100,000. All that while the population of the area had increased from 5,242 to 28,189.

"By comparison, the population of Morton Grove, the first city in Illinois to adopt a gun ban for anyone other than police officers, has actually dropped slightly and stands at 22,202, according to 2005 statistics. More significantly, perhaps, the city’s crime rate increased by 15.7 percent immediately after the gun ban, even though the overall crime rate in Cook County rose only 3 percent."

Since the Kennesaw ordinance was passed (as of 2007), "despite predictions of 'Wild West' showdowns and increased violence and accidents, 'not a SINGLE resident has been involved in a fatal shooting – as a victim, attacker or defender."

But we don't have to just go on statistics from a few American towns. In Switzerland, every household must have, by law, a fully automatic machine gun and ammunition. Guess what? The crime rate is very low there.

User Info Menu

If you want to think that Kennesaw, Georgia, population 30,000 is proof of anything, than okay...

No one in my family who was not working in law-enforcement, armed forces or legal hunting has ever required the use of a firearm to avoid potential disaster...

That as is just as much proof as Kennesaw, GA...

Then how about Morton Grove, IL, where they banned guns and the crime rate went UP?

How about Switzerland, where by law, every household must have and maintain an automatic rifle, and crime rates are low?

I'm glad you and yours haven't ever needed a firearm to stave off potential disaster. But think about it...if just one of the people in the audience had had a firearm with them, the Batman Movie gunman might have been stopped before he took all those lives. A student with a handgun could have stopped the Virginia Tech killer. There are crimes everyday that could be--and are--prevented because of firearms. In the majority of those situations, a shot never has to even be fired.

User Info Menu

Join Date

May 2008

Posts

13,185

Originally Posted by BradshawsHairdresser

I'm glad you and yours haven't ever needed a firearm to stave off potential disaster. But think about it...if just one of the people in the audience had had a firearm with them, the Batman Movie gunman might have been stopped before he took all those lives. A student with a handgun could have stopped the Virginia Tech killer.

User Info Menu

Flippy, there are a lot of rights given in this country to everyday morons, but until they do something moronic that right is theirs, yours and mine.

It just sucks to find out they're a moron after they shoot someone.

If people are just concerned about protection, they could always get a stun gun or tranquilizer gun or something that doesn't kill someone but incapacitates them. But for some reason, people always seem to choose guns that are more deadly. Deadlier is often perceived to be better.

If you think about the length people go through to choose just the right gun, we might actually be concerned about everyone. How can I conceal it? How big does it need to be to kill a 300 lb perp? How big ammunition do I need? Etc.

Maybe they should require you provide your internet search history and based on an analysis of the search terms, they decide if you qualify to buy a gun. Seems like it might be the best way to screen folks. The internet knows all of your secrets that no one else does.

User Info Menu

In Switzerland, every household must have, by law, a fully automatic machine gun and ammunition. Guess what? The crime rate is very low there.

It is also notable that the poverty rate in Switzerland is also less than half the poverty rate in the US. Switzerland also has excellent social welfare and socialized medicine. In addition, they have a much lower rate of drug addiction and the only outpatient rehab clinic in Europe. People can continue to pursue their lives and careers while learning to live life without drug cravings.

Unfortunately, gun violence seems to be particularly problematic in the US. The US is in the lead in number of firearms per citizen in the world, with 89 firearms per one hundred people. The US is also near the top in % of homicides by firearm.

Among the aggregate of the world's 23 richest nations, 80% of deaths by firearm are American citizens. 87% of children who die by firearm are American children.

I'm not denying anyone their second amendment rights. I'm just stating facts. There is a price we pay.